Author

Annika Sunkara

For first-time job seekers, the first step in trailblazing their professional career is finding entry-level jobs: positions that require little to no higher education or past work experience. Key to upward mobility, these jobs provide connections and equip young people with the knowledge and skills necessary to work their way up. They open doors to more specialized, higher paying job opportunities. However, increasingly, entry-level jobs are hardly entry-level. 

In 2020, [79%](https://blog.gitnux.com/entry-level-jobs-statistics/) of entry-level jobs in the United States required a Bachelor’s degree.

According to [a 2021 analysis of more than 3.8 million job postings on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hirings-new-red-line-why-newcomers-cant-land-35-jobs-george-anders/), 38% of entry-level postings on the platform require a minimum of three years of relevant work experience. 

The five industries with the highest percentage of entry-level postings requiring 3+ years of experience are:  

1. Software and information technology (60%)
2. Manufacturing (50%)
3. Design (47%)
4. Education (45%)
5. Finance (44%) 


Job seekers are feeling the effects of requirement inflation. To narrow down the applicant pool, employers are beginning by ruling out applicants with no college degree or prior experience altogether. But, in the process, they are turning down a generation of creative, passionate and technologically savvy job seekers who have so much to offer to the workforce, and need these entry-level jobs to kickstart their careers. 

## What Young People Have To Offer
As millennials navigate their 30s and early 40s, Generation Z is officially the new class of first-time workers. [Members of Gen Z](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2020/05/14/on-the-cusp-of-adulthood-and-facing-an-uncertain-future-what-we-know-about-gen-z-so-far-2/) are more racially and ethnically diverse than any previous generation, and they are on track to become the best educated generation, dropping out of high school at lower rates and attending college at higher rates. The Top Employers Institute notes that Gen Z holds essential skills like multitasking, adaptability, self-reliance and comfort with technology that today’s employers need in order to facilitate innovation and advancement.

## How Employers Are Responding
Despite the unique advantages Gen Z has to offer, in their race to fill positions, employers have made entry-level jobs more difficult for Gen Z to attain. [A 2017 research study](https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/dismissed-by-degrees.pdf) published by Harvard Business School found that historically, employers did not hold completion of college as a prerequisite for hiring. However, the Great Recession marked a change. As the workforce has grown more talented and competitive, companies have raised their requirements as an easy fix for the difficulty of choosing just a few candidates from an overabundance of applicants. While many employers value the soft skills that entry-level workers possess, they are abstract and difficult for employers to test during the application and interview processes. Understandably, employers default to concrete factors like education and experience to ensure qualification. 

But as companies strive for maximum productivity, they overemphasize education and experience while devaluing skills. This requirement inflation is demotivating for first-time job seekers who are still working to complete their higher education, and these not so entry-level job listings make it increasingly difficult for young people to enter the workforce and make progress toward their future careers.  

## The Issue With Inflation

Requirement inflation unnecessarily exaggerates the amount and level of skills that companies actually need in an employee. [Research conducted by Robert Half](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/survey-42-percent-of-job-applicants-dont-meet-skills-requirements-but-companies-are-willing-to-train-up-300813540.html) of more than 300 human resources managers and 2,800 employees found that 84% of surveyed companies were willing to hire and train candidates who did not meet all required skills, and 62% of surveyed employees were hired for a job without meeting all of the listing’s requirements. 

First-time job seekers are discouraged from applying for positions they possess the skills to succeed in. Companies that are willing to train inexperienced candidates owe it to seekers to cut their education and experience requirements and utilize skills-based hiring. Thankfully for young job seekers, many major companies are. 

## Success Through Skills-based Hiring
Facebook, Google and Walmart have all [relaxed their Bachelor’s degree requirements](https://www.hbs.edu/managing-the-future-of-work/Documents/research/emerging_degree_reset_020922.pdf) in recent years as efforts to diversify their talent pools. For entry-level workers in the tech industry who are suffering the brunt of experience requirements, skills-based hiring may offer a sense of relief. Talent shortages in tech have prompted many companies to employ skills-based hiring, and have opened up opportunities for young workers who previously would have been undermined. Only [26% of Accenture postings and 29% of IBM postings](https://www.cnbc.com/2022/04/25/companies-eliminate-college-degree-requirement-to-draw-needed-workers.html) have a degree requirement, and IBM Chief Human Resources Officer Nickle LaMoreaux said 50% of IBM job openings nationwide have no degree requirements. As articulated by Accenture North America CEO Jimmy Etheredge, “A person’s educational credentials are not the only indicators of success.” Since 2016, 80% of the entry-level employees Accenture has hired did not hold a college degree. 

Across the board from industry to industry, people have continually proved that education and experience alone do not define capability. Ellen DeGeneres, Steve Jobs, Walt Disney, Mary Kay Ash and Bill Gates are all examples of incredibly respected individuals who never earned college degrees, but undoubtedly had the talent, skill and ambition to be revolutionary. It’s up to employers to recognize this and make entry-level jobs truly entry-level.


Posted

Rewriting the Requirements: Making Entry-level Jobs Truly Entry-level

COVID-19’s impact on the US workforce is undeniable. 

- An estimated [315 million to 1.05 billion](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/one-billion-days-lost-how-covid-19-is-hurting-the-us-workforce) worker days were lost due to COVID

- The number of job openings outweighs the number of unemployed people nearly [2:1](https://www.uschamber.com/workforce/understanding-americas-labor-shortage)

- [80%](https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/compensation/pages/employees-say-salary-isnt-keeping-up-with-inflation.aspx) of employees believe their pay isn’t keeping up with inflation 

As companies rush to make up for productivity losses by hiring new workers, employers are turning to college and high school students to fill positions. Nowadays, finding a job isn’t the hard part– finding one that fulfills everything you want in a job is. Employers and job seekers alike need tools that have adapted to the post-COVID era. 

## Digitizing the Process
Walking into a store and walking out with a paper job application in hand is a thing of the past. The number of Americans who take their job hunt online has [doubled](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/11/19/1-the-internet-and-job-seeking/) in the last 10 years. Perhaps predictably, COVID only further digitized the hiring process. Now more than ever, employers require speedy, centralized technology that facilitates the review of applications and communication with applicants. Similarly, for job-seekers, this technology ensures they traverse the application and interview stages with greater efficiency. 

Especially for our target demographic, college and high school students, digitizing this process is essential. Generation Z is more comfortable and confident with technology than any previous generation. It is our firm belief that every job applicant deserves to feel comfortable and confident on their path to securing their dream job. 

## Working Remotely
Between 2019 and 2021, the number of Americans who work remotely [tripled](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/people-working-from-home.html). Eliminating the constraint of commuting, working from home gives employees the freedom to work for any employer regardless of proximity. As a result, the number of job opportunities increases exponentially. Choice of work environment, improved work-life balance, limited stress and heightened flexibility scrape only the surface of the benefits of remote work. It’s no wonder millions of workers have made the switch to online. 

Remote work breaks the distance between job seekers and employers. With a larger pool of job opportunities, job seekers have greater freedom to apply to positions that appeal to all their employment wants and needs. As experts [project]([tripled](https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2022/people-working-from-home.html)) that remote work will only continue to grow, Trailblaze is determined to establish more connections with remote employers and grow the number of remote work listings available on our platform. 

## The New Normal
While COVID had grave repercussions for businesses, it also transformed the job seeking journey. College and high school students are trailblazing the way for future generations to take advantage of a uniquely digitized workforce that caters to their unique relationship with technology. Embracing these opportunities is essential to adapting to our new normal. 


Navigating the New Normal: Finding a Job in the Post-COVID Era

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Rewriting the Requirements: Making Entry-level Jobs Truly Entry-level

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